A Prussian Detective
by Abrogans
Summary: Gilbert Beilschmidt is a soon to be detective and Chief Inspector Kirkland orders him to join the investigations to stop a murder series. When Gilbert meets a certain Canadian his personal life and professional career seem perfect. However, appearances are deceptive: It is a race against time and a monster in human form. [(PruCan) & a bit of Humour]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An awesome Prologue

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Today was not an awesome day for the awesome Gilbert he decided after his father got him his favourite cereal from the cupboard.

He couldn't reach up there himself because he was to small and also not allowed to climb up the kitchen. He just remembered that today his father's new- what was that unawesome word again? Fiasco? Financia? Some sort of girlfriend would come by to meet Gilbert.

He knew that he had no mother, because she died after giving birth to him and his father didn't really love his mother. Just because he was still a kid – 3 awesome years old- didn't mean he wouldn't understand what his grandfather and papa were talking about. Actually it had always been more of a war than a conversation.

His grandfather would always scold about an 'accident' his papa had with Gilbert's mother and that she was the reason for him albinism (his awesome looks) and his papa would angrily fire back and say that he would never regret 'it'.

Gilbert couldn't figure out what kind of an accident they had. Maybe his papa hit her with his bike like Gilbert did once when he wasn't able to hit the break and landed on his creepy Russian neighbour.

One time Gilbert's ninja skills betrayed him while eavesdropping and his father noticed him standing behind the corner to the living room and hasty interrupted his grandpa. He patted his lap and Gilbert hesitated before walking to the adults and climb up to his papa's lap.

His grandpa quickly kissed his cheeks and left with a " _Ich liebe dich, mein Junge. Euch beide." (I love you, my boy. Both of you)._

Gilbert listened to the heavy steps until the front door closed and everything was silent for some seconds. Suddenly strong arms wrapped around the small body and when Gilbert looked up to his fathers blue eyes he thought they looked a bit watery.

It didn't match his father and his strict face. Of cause he wasn't ALWAYS this stiff.

After kindergarden they often sat at the kitchen table all noon and his papa would watch his son draw something awesome like the small chick in the apple tree outside the kitchen window. Gilbert often told his papa an adventure that would fit to his drawings and when he finished drawing his father would pin the picture to the others in the kitchen - this was very awesome from his papa to do so.

Gilbert didn't understand why his papa would meet a woman and tell him he would get a new Mama. He also didn't know you could find a new mother. Besides that Gilbert had his father and never really missed a mother at his home.

When he slept over at his best friend Antonio he would always see Antonio's mother bring them snacks, make them feel comfortable and tug them into bed. His papa did all these things too. He didn't smile as much as Antonio's mother and was a bit strict but if other children needed a mother to do this would mean his papa was more awesome than other children's parents together.

This also meant that Gilbert wouldn't need a mother!

The doorbell brought Gilbert back to the present and the fact that his papa's new 'fricassee' had to be standing right outside the front door to meet him. "Come, Gilbert. let's welcome her at the door", his father said and Gilbert knew it was no question. He sighed silently and slid from his chair to follow his papa.

The moment Gilbert's father opened the door he knew that angels existed. That was obvious because one was standing in front of him now. A female angel, of cause. She wore a white dress and her hair was a warm brown. The sun behind the angel made it look like the light hugged tight onto her and her smile was showering Gilbert in so much love and affection he wasn't able to say anything.

'Yes, definitely an angel!' he thought and glimpsed to his father who smiled back at the angel and took her hand. " _Hallo, Liebes (hello, love)_ … Gilbert, don't be rude and say 'Hello', will you", his father calmly said and fixed his blond hair. Gilbert swallowed and thought to himself 'Papa's girlfried is an angel, wow! I bet she is more awesome than- I mean nearly as awesome as me!'

He tried some positive talk inside his head to bring up the courage to talk but instead of a nice greeting his father waited for he mumbled a quiet " _Gut'n Tag_ " _(G'day)._ The angel started laughing and Gilbert was sure he never heard ANYTHING this pleasant. Then she got on her knees to pat Gilbert's head and said: " _Ciao_ Gilbert. I am Felicia and Ludwig told me so many things about you. It's a pleasure to meet the awesome you in person."

Gilbert couldn't see his father roll his eyes while smiling at his fiancé.

The moment Ludwig saw the bright smile appearing on his son's face he knew his worries were unreasonable. Who on earth could resist the beautiful smile Felicia shared with the world?

Felicia got back to her feet and gave Gilbert's papa a soft kiss. That was the moment Gilbert found his ability to talk and while jumping on the spot he shouted: "Awesome! _Papa, meine neue Mama ist ein Engel_! _(my new mum is an angel)_ ".

Ludwig looked down in a surprise and picked his bubbly son up. Gilbert smiled and faced Felicia to bomb her with questions. "How did papa find you? Do you live in the clouds? Are all your friends angels too? Do you want to come into the kitchen and see my awesome drawings? They are awesome because I drew them, of cause!" The words kept bubbling out of his mouth and Gilbert was now really exited to have a mother. She really seemed to be awesome!

 ** _Four years later_**

Gilbert carefully examine the bushed around him when Antonio finally climbed over the wooden fence into his awesome garden. In his hand he carried the Binoculars from his father and gave Gilbert the magnifier. They were on an awesome top-secret mission to find the person who stole Gilbert's left rain boot. The ground was still muddy so the stupid thief definitely must have left footprints and other clues behind!

Antonio looked around the garden and into a puddle. "In here is nothing", he gave his professional report and went to another corner of the garden. Gilbert found light drag marks on the ground and followed them looking through the magnifier towards the shed. Did the thief really think he could get away with this serious crime? This stupid idiot underestimated the awesome Detective Gilbert and his loyal partner Antonio!

With a loud 'A-ha!' he threw open the old wooden door and stumbled upon a shovel that he just left there yesterday. He fell into the shed and groaned in pain. His knee was hurting and he noticed the ripped fabric turning red. This was so far away from an awesome move…

A whimper attracted his attention and in a corner behind garden tools he saw his yellow rain boot and inside a small, grey puppy shivered from the cold. Its eyes were closed and his fur was muddy and messy. Gilbert's eyes grew ten times bigger and he slowly and carefully approached the small dog. When he first patted it the puppy let out another whimper but pressed against the warmth of Gilbert's hand.

He picked up the freezing puppy and zipped his jacket and sweat jacket open to share his body heat with the poor creature. Gilbert felt the cold and wet fur against his chest and called for Antonio. The other boy ran to the shed and asked: "Did you find the Thief?".

Gilbert nodded and showed him the puppy. Antonio gasped when he saw the shivering puppy and dragged his best friend to the backdoor of the house. He opened the door to the kitchen and when he found Felicia next to the oven he grabbed her and pointed at Gilbert. "Mrs. Beilschmidt, help him! Help him, _por favor_!"

Felicia looked quite confused from Antonio to Gilbert and asked: "What happened, sweetheart? Oh, your kneed are bleeding. Hurry and sit down." She rushed to the first aid kit and Gilbert desperately cried out. "Not me, Mama. Him!" He pulled out the puppy and pressed it against his chest.

The puppy was still shivering but the whining had stopped.

Gilbert's mother kneeled down and examined the little dog. "Poor thing, it is shivering. Where did you find it? Wait a second _dolcezza_ _(sweetheart)_. I get a blanket for the both of you. Antonio, be so kind and get some milk out of the fridge and put it into the microwave. The puppy needs something warm to eat!"

Gilbert watched his mother ran through the house like a maniac getting blankets, a towel, a small bowl and a new pair of trousers. Felicia took a fluffy towel and wrapped the puppy into it without taking it away from Gilbert. Then she opened his shoes and jeans and helped him take them off. All while standing.

She picked him up and sat him on the kitchen table to clean his blood red knees and put some band aids onto them. Then she put some pyjama pants on Gilbert and sat him back down.

During this Antonio pushed a chair to the microwave to reach it. He poured some milk into the bowl and when the microwave started spinning he noticed he was still wearing his muddy boots. Gilbert's dad was so going to kill him! "Shit!", the swear left his lips and he started kicking his boots off to the door where Gilbert's dirty cloth lay on the floor.

Antonio hurried to the kitchen towel and started cleaning the chair. Felicia noticed the scenario and grabbed the Spanish boy to put him next to Gilbert. "Don't worry about it, dear. Take care of your little friend and I clean up later", she said smiling and took the milk out of the microwave.

Gilbert observed her putting the milk to her lips and mixing it with cold milk just to take a small sip. "Mama, what are you doing", he asked curiously and Felicia suddenly grabbed a syringe out of the first aid kit and sucked some milk into it. Gilbert's eyes widened in shock and he stuttered: "D- don't you dare a- and hurt him!"

His mama looked up in surprise and said: "No way, Sweetie! Look! There is no needle on it. We use it to feed the little thing. It won't hurt him." She walked over to Gilbert and he observed every move with wariness. His mama carefully turned the puppy in Gilbert's hands and slowly started pouring the warm milk into its jaws.

The boys started smiling when the dog drank and even stopped shivering. His eyes opened for the first time and a deep brown met Gilbert's red eyes.

The boys helped Gilbert's mama clean the puppy and at dusk they sat on the big couch in the living room and listened to Felicia's singing while watching the puppy sleep in Gilbert's lap.

The click of the door lock made them jump in surprise and they heard Ludwig's voice: " _Ich bin zuhause_. _(I'm home)_ "

Gilbert, Felicia and Antonio acted in sync and pushed their index fingers against their lips. 'Sssssh!' was all Gilbert's papa got when he entered the living room. Gilbert pointed at the puppy on his legs and Felicia stood up and kissed her husband on the cheek. "Let's go into the kitchen and I explain it to you, dear", she said and steered Ludwig into the kitchen to tell him everything that happened this noon.

Gilbert saw his parents come back after some minutes and his papa kneeled down in front of him without saying a word. He just brushed through his son's white hair and looked down at the sleeping puppy. When he looked up he saw Gilbert begging him with his whole body not to say that he couldn't keep it. His son's eyes, his mimic and the small arms around the dog pleaded him to have mercy with the puppy.

Ludwig took a deep breath and started talking: "Your mama already told me that you want to keep the puppy, Gilbert. She also praised you for how careful you have been handling him, but before I give you an answer-" Gilbert couldn't hold his words back any more and the tension nearly killed him. " _Bitte Papa_ , I didn't steal him or anything! Antonio and I were investigating my missing rain boot and we found him in the shed. We already named him 'Boots'! _Lass mich ihn behalten, bitte_! _(please let me keep him)._ I am already seven and you promised me to get a pet this year."

Gilbert watched every movement on his father's face and when he saw his papa's lips turn into a light smile tears of joy ran down his cheeks.

Ludwig seemed to be a bit surprised about Gilbert's strong reaction but he was sure it was the right decision. "I guess with your detective work you saved Boots' life."

On this day Gilbert decided he would join the police to become an awesome detective.

* * *

This is my first fanfiction on this side and I never wrote a big story in English.

Also I am aware that my English it not on a pro-level so please excuse my chioce of words and mistakes :)

I hope you like it so far (well, it's just the prologue) and the real story begins in the next chapter. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **In this chapter the murder case gets introduced and the victim get described. So if you don't like the idea of death and murder I guess this story is not the right one for you.**

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The afternoon sky was covered in grey clouds and heavy rain was falling on the ground. Everything was soaking wet – the meadows in the park, the trees and bushes, the old rusty swing in the shabby, little play ground.

Chief Inspector Arthur Kirkland looked up into the sky and felt the rain burst into many tiny drops when they collided with his face. The weather was mind and a light west wind chased the rain clouds over the lands. He liked the sight of the moving grey mountains and again he felt very small in this universe which had a calming effect on him.

To calm down was exactly what he needed at the moment, because typically there was no need for him to show up at a crime scene except something was really wrong.

Arthur's career was like a dream – when he was young he started of as a normal policeman and slowly but steady he climbed up to the top. When he celebrated his 42 birthday he was put in charge of Chief Inspector which was the highest rank he could reach without being relocated.

It has already been five years...

He loved his surroundings and the wide pastures he could reach with just a bike. The town he lived in had an old history and many restored buildings presented the charm of his home to every visitor.

Also Matthew, his son, found himself a small apartment near his father and he could easily attend his university by bus. To Arthur it was very important to have his beloved son around once in a while or just drink a delicious cup of tea together.

The policemen had build up a provisional plastic roof above the iron slide to prevent the rain to wash away clues from this scenery. Arthur went under the roof and got informed by a policeman when the new body was found and how long she might be dead. It was no standard for him to be at a crime scene anymore but on special cases with high importance he went there himself like it was this time… again.

Arthur faced the body and his sight wandered from the red coloured rain dripping from the feet and legs up to the face of the newest murder victim.

It was a young woman with brown wavy hair. She was a real beauty when she was still alive but now the dead eyes just stared into the nothingness. Some small veins in her eyes bursted and red dots made her whole body look even more surreal like from a horror comic.

The woman's feet as well as her arms were bound together with a rough and thick cord stretching the body to full length. Her skin and muscles were contused by the force of the ropes and chunks of skin were sticking to the fibres.

On her back two plastic wings in the form of a butterfly were attached with hooks and thin wires. The bright and shining colours which were painted on the plastic wings created a contrast you just couldn't overlook. They looked like real butterfly wings and made the body to which they got hooked look out of place.

Since the skin on her back wasn't as bloody as the first two victims the murderer must have used the 'practice' from the first women to make such a 'clean' job. 'Bloody monster' Arthur thought and noticed the shape of the sewn ends in her back to hold the hooks in place which were similar but took more effort than on the first victims.

He made a clicking sound in disgust and muttered: "This wicked bastard. He really got better in such a short time and-" He shook his head and stopped himself from thinking about how many girls could end up like this.

The first victim looked worse Arthur remembered.

Her face was all beaten up and the murderer even broke her jaw. Maybe she fought back much more or he started using drugs on the next victim. The girl had been in a physically bad condition and the murderer was more hasty with her than the other women.

The stitches on the actual victim's back were still made by hand and they also looked 'better' if anyone could say such an inappropriate thing.

Arthur stared into the pale face of the young woman and her eyes still looked a bit puffy. 'Poor thing must have been in so much fear', he thought. His eyes stopped at her mouth for a second and Arthur inspected her lips. They looked dry despite being in the rain for the last few hours and there was a strange buckle just above her upper lip.

The Inspector covered his hands with latex gloves and hesitated before slowly opening the woman's jaw. He raised his eyebrows and found a piece of paper sticking out. The paper was covered in a thin layer of wax and the letters were legible. "This bloody son of an abortion", Arthur yelled at the paper and attracted the attention of some policemen and the forensic team. The young Japanese forensic scientist walked over to Arthur and inspected the message.

"Kirkland-san, is this from the murderer", he asked and Arthur simply nodded. He added: "It's German, right? Can you read it?" Arthur shook his head and thought about every policeman he knew from his division who might be able to read it.

"If you need someone to translate it, maybe one of my men could help out. He got relocated here a month ago from London and as far as I know he's German", his colleague and cousin Allistor Kirkland suggested. Arthur glared at him for a second because he never liked his stupid red headed cousin having a solution to his problems, but this was work and his personal hatred and aversion for his family member had to wait.

"Great, where is he", Arthur grunted and looked at the policemen surrounding them. "Oh, he isn't here. Gilbert Beilschmidt is at the police station and has to do some paper work", Allistor had a big fat grin on his bloody stupid face while talking. Arthur gritted his teeth and clenched his hand to prevent himself from strangling the red head or barking back at him.

Instead he hissed: "A murderer is walking around without handcuffs. Get him here, now!" He stomped away to get himself a zip bag for the note in his hand and took a deep breath.

* * *

At the police station Gilbert sat at his desk and filled out some papers while cursing in German. Just because he was the new guy here he had to do the shitty jobs – at least that was his conclusion. In London he was a well established member of his division and was allowed to help at the real crime scenes like murder and not just damaged windows and small thefts. This was definitely not awesome! He wanted to go outside and arrest the bad members of society!

Gilbert knew he had to prove himself somehow to get the respect his awesome self deserved for his great police work. That's what his papa always said when Gilbert complained about his colleagues or the work he had to do when he first got into the police.

" _Gilbert, nur durch Leistung erarbeitest du dir Respekt! (only effort makes you gain respect)_ " he tried to mimic his papa with a heavy German accent. He finally finished the last paper he had on his desk and stretched his back.

At that moment his phone rang and Gilbert stared at it in surprise. Since the day he started working here his phone _never_ rang. After some more seconds just looking at the device he finally snapped out of his thought and picked up.

"Murder investigation division, Detective Constable Beilschmidt speaking. How can I help you?" Gilbert felt the pride rising in his chest. "Oh, Sir, hello… yes, I am German, why do y-… to a crime scene? of course! … Yes, Sir! I've heard about the case and- … Yes, I am on my way now… Yes, I know the addre-… Thank you, Sir." His team leader hung up and Gilbert threw the phone back on the table.

'Awesome! They _requested_ my help for the case!' Gilbert ran out of the office and jumped into his car. Kirkland said they found a new clue with the next victim from this sick serial killer. Gilbert was excited as hell and his whole body was tingling. He knew _everything_ about the case and the victims. After all he had to fill in the reports and was able to study the case.

A murderer who used plastic wings to make it look like wings and exposed the bodies in public spaces. He must feel nearly invincible to take the time he needs for his victims without getting caught. It really was disgusting, Gilbert saw the first body once. But his hopes were high to help his team to get this bastard! After all he was determined to become an awesome detective and stop the evil all around him and save many lives!

Fifteen Minutes later he arrived at the park and thanks to his badge he was able to enter the playground and walk towards the completely build up tent which was a shield against the curious bystanders. Next to the entrance he found his team leader Allistor Kirkland and he was talking to- he gasped. His boss was talking to Chief Inspector Arthur Kirkland himself! Awesome!

Gilbert saluted in front of the men and said: "I'm Detective Constable Beilschmidt, you asked for me, Sir?" Arthur inspected Gilbert and he immediately felt naked under the strict green eyes. 'Could they be even more intimidating that papa's? No way in hell!' He swallowed and tried to withstand Arthur's examination.

Red met green eyes and after some seconds Allistor interrupted the starring match.

"Well, don't kill him, Arthur. He is the only policeman I know with German language skills. And you, don't get too exited, kiddo", he said and nodded towards the tent. The three of them entered and when Gilbert saw the young woman he didn't dare to breath in. The whole air had a strange plastic and bloody smell to it and Gilbert's mouth got dry.

The first victim he saw was already in a black bag but actually seeing the scene for real was definitely something else. The bloody sand, red stained rusty slide and streached body draped with the wings and wires burned itself inside Gilbert's mind.

Someone pushed a little zip back with a paper note into his hand and he was finally able to look away from this barbaric sight.

„ _Scheuer, süßer Schmetterling. Brachte dich mir mein Mephistopheles und verdankst du mir deine Flügel."_

Gilbert's mouth opened without making a sound, because of the confusion. Arthur observed the other man's reaction and his eyebrow twitched impatient. "Can you read it? What does it say", he pushed the young detective. Gilbert looked up and tried to organize his thoughts and stuttered: "W- well, he wrote..."

Gilbert cleared his throat and read: " _Shy, sweet butterfly. My Mephistopheles brought you to me and to me you owe your wings_."

The tent was filled with a tense silence and Gilbert didn't dare to make a noise. He faced the young victim and then looked back at the piece of paper. He couldn't find anything that would make sense at the moment. It sounded like his victims should be thankful to him and a demon helped him? What the fuck was going on? And what was that sick bastard thinking?

The words from Arthur Kirkland broke him out of his state.

"You can help investigating in this case now, Beilschmidt. We'd like you to work with Alfred Jones as your new partner. You two were supposed to meet tomorrow but formalities can wait. He's questioning the old lady over there and already knows about you. Just stay by his side and help him with his tasks for today. Hopefully by tomorrow we know who the girl is and you two can start questioning her family and friends."

Allistor Kirkland pointed to a tall blond man with glasses under a navy blue umbrella who was taking notes while asking out the old lady. Gilbert nodded, gave the Japanese the note back and left the men with a 'Sir' towards Arthur Kirkland.

Alfred must have seen Gilbert walking to his direction, because after he asked the lady for her contact information and requested her to not leave the city for the next few days in case of open questions he turned around and gave Gilbert a friendly smile.

"Hi, there. I am Alfred Jones your new partner. You can call me Alfred. You are from Germany, right? I'm from the great US of A. I guess the plan of introduction for tomorrow was changed", he scratched the back of his head and held out his other hand to greet the albino properly. Gilbert smiled back. "Thanks, Alfred. Call me Gilbert." Alfred openly studied his looks and boldly said: "I've never seen an albino before. I always thought you guys would look more dead."

Gilbert definitely did not expect that from his new partner but it was a nice distraction and he grinned back at the American. "I guess not everybody can look as awesome and alive as me."

The moment Gilbert ended his sentence his eyes wandered to the tent and he wanted to punch himself in the face for saying that.

Alfred noticed and put an arm around Gilbert's shoulders before whispering: "Don't be too strict with yourself. It happens to every good cop once in a while. And I was the first one to say something slightly inappropriate at the crime scene."

The rest of the noon Alfred and Gilbert were doing their work and when they finished Alfred and Gilbert left the crime scene. "Do you want to join me in the pub? I guess a beer might be the best thing to end this day with", Alfred suggested. Gilbert nodded and a light smile appeared on his face when he thought about having a beer with his new colleague.

He looked up into the clear sky and noticed the stars shining down. In his mind he promised to himself that he would do everything he could do to arrest the murderer. He was vowing on his awesome self!

* * *

 _That's chapter 2 :)  
I hope you like it until now. I know that my chapters are a bit short but university keeps me busy. _

_It will hopefully make more sense to you later on but what crime is solved ten minutes later? ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Hello, everyone. I changed the second chapter's context, because I thought it might be a bit too bloody and I really wanted Gilbert and Matthew to meet without scaring people away too soon. ;)**

* * *

When Gilbert finally reached the front door to his home he started cursing because he couldn't find his keys in his pockets. "Where did I put these stupid keys", he mumbled under a heavy breath.

Today was a busy day and his first at the crime scene where he met Arthur Kirkland, Kiku Honda and his new partner Alfred.

The two of them went to the pub after work to let their brains process what they saw and get to know each other. Gilbert liked the American with his open and friendly smile. They talked a bit about their home countries and how they got to the police.

Alfred once tackled a thief in a small grocery store when he was a teenager and his football training ended and he felt so great about it that he wanted his job to be catching the villains. 'Like a real hero' he said and Gilbert could nearly see the American flag appear behind his partner. This was very much how he imagined an American and he was amused and impressed at the other one's confidence.

Gilbert himself liked his own awesome reason and the backstory much more but he didn't have to tell his partner. Of cause, _nobody_ could possibly have a more noble reason than Gilbert! Saving lives was like the best thing!

Gilbert finally found his keys in his jacket and got inside and walked up the staircase. The house was split up into two apartments with a bigger one on ground level and the apartment he shared with Antonio was under the roof and it was a bit smaller.

Gilbert's papa brought the house eight years ago when they decided to move out of the loud environment in London to the south-east. This way they had more space for the same amount of money and a visit to Germany was faster to do.

12 years ago Ludwig Beilschmidt decided to accept a job offer in Britain and moved there with his family. On the day they had to say goodbye to their friends and neighbours Gilbert and Antonio cried in the others arms because they no more could meet on a daily basis.

Gilbert didn't like moving away from his best friend and even out of his country. His awesome country with Wurst and Sauerkraut and bread, not that stupid fake stuff they got on their vacation in France.

Ludwig promised his son that day that he could invite Antonio on vacation and visit home as much as possible. It didn't stop the river of tears but it made the walk to the car a bit easier for Ludwig and his wife.

After they moved Gilbert was a bit grumpy and didn't like anything about London. There was nothing awesome here. They had stupid cabs, stupid callboxes, their language was stupid and their poor excuse for a Wurst was stupid too! The only great thing at that time was Boots, his dog. In the new apartment pets were allowed and that meant everywhere Gilbert went he took Boots with him. Even to bed where Boots would snug up to Gilbert's legs and get patted by his owner until he falls asleep.

Some years passed, the family moved to their new home and Gilbert joined the police when he got eighteen. His papa didn't like the idea of his son going to crime scenes or an aimed raid where he could get hurt. Felicia always calmed his papa down and made Gilbert promise to take care of himself.

On his nineteenth birthday Gilbert heard a knocking on the front door and when he answered his awesome best friend Antonio was standing in front of him with moving boxes and a big smile on his face.

Gilbert was filled with joy seeing him standing in the doorway and squeezed him. " _Mama, Papa! Antonio ist hier! (Antonio is here)_ ", he shouted but his parents didn't look too surprised. Antonio laughed at his friends confused face.

"I have planned this with your parents for a while. I will go to the university in the neighbour town and the two of us are allowed to have the upper apartment. Aren't we awesome?" he grinned and Gilbert told him and his parents how awesome the were for a week.

Gilbert walked up the stairs and sneeked into his apartment. Antonio had an exam the next day and wanted to go to bed early. When he entered university he made the good resolution to study hard and be a great student. In reality Gilbert's best friend would start learning two days before the exam and panic the moment he realized that his procrastination was making him have a difficult time getting everything into his head in time.

In the bathroom Gilbert took a shower and thought about the case. It just didn't make any sense to him why the murderer would send a message in German with this content. Actually, killing in the first place made no sense to Gilbert but as he gained some experience back in London he got to think a bit like the murderer to understand his motives.

This time there wasn't such a thing. It looked too random to Gilbert to make his victims look like butterflies, wire them in public places and then start writing such abstract messages. Why would 'Mephistopheles' bring him the women? And who would that be? Gilbert knew the name was that from a devil but why would a devil do this for a human in the first place? A devil named Mephistopheles working for a human… where did Gilbert hear that before?

The albino left the shower and dried off to change into comfortable sweatpants and a hoodie while waking up his computer. Google, his pal, had to help him. Gilbert googled for Mephistopheles helping a human and immediately his question got answered: Dr. Faustus by Malowe.

' _Wirklich, Faust? (Really, Faustus)_ ' Gilbert thought. Back in Germany when he was in 6. grade they had to read Faust by Goethe and it was awful! Not the story itself but the style. That's why Gilbert threw it away after they finished torturing his class with the book. Right now the albino insulted himself for getting rid of it.

He decided to buy the book and read it again to hopefully find something that would explain something the bastard did to the women. In the centre of the town was a little book store and maybe they had the stupid book or he had to order it. 'How likely was it for an English book store to sell the German version of Faustus? There was no way in hell.' Gilbert thought while turning his technological friend off and he went to sleep.

The next morning Gilbert got up just two minutes before his alarm clock. "Great, I got up before this _scheiß Wecker (shitty alarm clock)_ again. _Verdammt. Dreckstück! (Damn. Piece of shit)_ " he cursed and Antonio entered Gilbert's bedroom. " _Buenos dias_ , Gilbert! ( _Good morning_ ) I can hear your good mood through the walls. How was work yesterday? I haven't seen you", his best friend greeted and grinned like mad.

Gilbert scratched the back of his head and yawned loudly. "I have a new partner now who's a nice guy and I help at a murder investigation. Quite the change from the stupid bureaucratic desk work."

Antonio new Gilbert could be a doofus once in a while, but his best friend never talked about the important stuff and crimes which happened at work. The albino was very responsible about this topic, just this one.

Antonio laughed and said: "That's great! I am happy for you! Oh- I have to get to the university, shit. Wish me luck!" The Spaniard left the bedroom and went to the kitchen to get his bag. " _Hals- und Beinbruch! (Break a leg)_ ", Gilbert shout at his friend who replied with a crooked smile and left.

The albino stood up and went to the small kitchen to make some coffee, but when he reached it the front door was pushed open and Felicia came in humming a song. "Good morning, sweetheart. How are you? I thought maybe you want to have breakfast with your _Papa_ and me. I already prepared everything." She took Gilbert's hand and took him downstairs into his parents apartment.

Gilbert looked at his mother and he noticed that her appearance changed a bit. The brown hair falling down her shoulders got a bit lighter and her laughter lines got more defined over the last few years. It made her look even happier and when she smiled at Gilbert in her loving way he still saw the angel from 21 years ago. Some people got older and looked grey or sometimes just… old. His mother was still the beautiful woman who become his mother and loved him for who he was.

At the kitchen table Gilbert saw his father sitting and reading his newspapers. He hadn't touched the food and was waiting for his family to join him. When he noticed his wife and son his facial expression got way softer and he smiled for a second. "Guten Morgen. How are you", he asked his son and Gilbert smiled back.

"I am feeling awesome! My team leader _requested_ me yesterday for a murder case, because I am such an awesome Prussian", he declared with a wide grin. His father nodded and said: "Of course they would, you are a good detective. _Aber warum nennst du dich immer 'Preuße'? (But why dou you always call yourself 'Prussian')_ ".

"Why? They were awesome of course! They were what our awesome Germany is now and they had style!" Gilbert nearly shouted and his mama giggled: "My, my. What a great son I have to be proud of his country. Let's eat." Felicia and Ludwig knew that they couldn't argue about this subject but at least he would call himself 'German' for official papers.

They ate breakfast and talked a bit about the upcoming weekend and whether Antonio passes the exam or not. Gilbert's papa always criticized Antonio's 'way' of studying because he didn't learn as much as he should and 'a proper German wouldn't lack in making effort for anything'. Antonio not being German was no excuse for Ludwig. Somehow Antonio managed to pass all his exams and get a decent amount of points.

After breakfast and helping his parents clean the kitchen (Ludwig always demanded him to help whilst Felicia would just let her boy do what he wants) Gilbert Changed his clothes and left the house to visit the book store.

He walked past his neighbour's houses and the play ground where he and Antonio always did something stupid when they were younger and Antonio went there on vacation. Gilbert passed the old church and more houses appeared to his sides indicating that he slowly reached the centre.

After 20 minutes he reached the town square and found the book store in a small corner. The first two years Gilbert didn't know of the store's existence but one time he needed a book for his studies and went there. That was the one and only time he went into the store and not just passing by.

He pushed the door open and a little bell greeted him. The store was quite the miracle of space because for having so many books in one room I was still looking organized with a path to go through the mountains of books to every side.

When Gilbert was here some years ago everything was jam-packed with nowhere to step on and the old manager was as chaotic as his store. The albino looked at the books and noticed a sorting system for the books which didn't fit into the shelves. 'Wow, the manager really managed to manage the place by now' Gilbert thought and had to grin.

He looked up the tall shelves and suddenly collided with something warm and it squeaked when it bounced off the Prussian. Gilbert faced the obstacle in confusion and found a young man with blond hair and a single curl pointing up sitting on the ground. The blond looked up and Gilbert was sure that the other one's eyes were violet. They were in a light tone and reminded Gilbert of what you would see while looking through a kaleidoscope.

"I'm sorry, man. I really didn't notice you between all those books. Are you alright", Gilbert said and helped the other one to his feet. "It's alright. I am used to not getting noticed and it happens all the time", he said and giggled. Gilbert raised his eyebrows. 'How could someone be alright with not getting noticed and run over?' "Do you see my glasses? I lost them when I fell to the floor", the blond asked and Gilbert searched the ground in hectic. 'Hopefully they were still in one piece' Gilbert thought and found them between some books. He cleaned the glasses with his shirt and gave them to the young man. "Here you go. They are not broken I think." The blond put them on and his eyes studied the albino for some seconds.  
"Wow, you look handsome" the blond said quietly but Gilbert still understood him and a light blush covered his cheeks. That must be the most awesome thing someone has ever said to him! He grinned at the blond man and noticed that Gilbert was nearly one head taller than him.

"Thanks, I agree with you. I am the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt and what's your name", the albino reached out a hand and the other one shook it while laughing. It was a pleasant sound in Gilbert's ears and reminded him of the first tie he heard his mother speaking.

"My name is Matthew Williams. Nice to meet you Gilbert. You are German, right? I like your accent", he said in his quiet voice. Gilbert nodded proudly and then looked around and asked: "Hey, have you seen the manager? Small man, grey hair, looked like the grinch but in a more human colour." Matthew smiled at the description.

"The manager is at the hospital for the next month. He broke his leg and some ribs when he fell from the ladder. I help out until he comes back."

Gilbert let out a surprised sound. "Oooh. That's why it is this clean and organized in here." The blond nodded and asked: "It seems that you are a customer, Gilbert. How can I help you?" Gilbert looked at the smiling man and for a second he had to remember why he was in the book store. "Ah, right. I need a book. It is the English and German version of Dr. Faustus written by Malowe and Goethe."

Matthew gave him an impressed look and walked to a shelf. "Wow, I didn't expect that. Do you study literature or languages?" "No, not really. I need it for work, but I don't really work with books." Gilbert answered and looked around the store.

Matthew nodded and said: "We don't have any copy of the books here, sorry. I guess my father bought the last English one for his case yesterday. Isn't it strange that suddenly two people want the same book no one asked for in months?" Gilbert faced Matthew and asked: "A case?" and Matthew nodded again. "Yeah, he works for the police and needs it for a case or what ever. He didn't tell me in detail but from what I heard in the news I don't want to know the details."

"Oh, I am working for the police, too! But I don't remember a colleague with the last name 'Williams'.", Gilbert said the last sentence out loud while thinking about his colleagues. "You are a policeman, too? Cool! Oh, we don't share the last name, because I was adopted. I could have taken his, but I think Matthew Williams sounds better than William Kirkland. But please never tell dad, he would kill me", Matthew laughed and Gilbert's facial expression derailed. "KIRKLAND?! Which one? Arthur or Allistor?", he asked louder than he intended to.

Matthew looked up to the Prussian in surprise. "Arthur Kirkland. You know my uncle too?" Gilbert inspected Matthew with a piercing glance. How could the son of this grumpy chief inspector look so nice and sweet?

The blond seemed to know what Gilbert was thinking. "My dad is very kind and loving. He just never shows it at work. There he is more like a medusa who attacks everyone who spends more time around him than needed."

To Gilbert this comparison was exactly what he heard from his colleagues in the past month. Being a highly ranked officer didn't mean that you are good with people. Well, everybody had a good and bad side and Matthew was living with the better one of his father. At least Gilbert's boss was no full-time devil.

While thinking about something to say Gilbert found an open book about how to make stuffed animals. He took it and looked at the drawings and explanations for a big fluffy polar bear. Matthew saw it and stole it out of Gilbert's hands. "Don't look in there", he cried, his whole face got burning red and the blond tried hiding behind the book.

"Are you embarrassed to read it?" Gilbert had to hide a grin when he looked into the smaller one's expression. "I- No! It's not… I mean, yeah...", Matthew stuttered and Gilbert was pretty sure the blond was wishing for a hole to disappear into.

"Don't be! The bear in the picture looks cute", he tried to cheer Matthew up. It was working, because he lowered the book and looked directly into Gilbert's eyes.

' _Himmel, Arsch und Zwirn. (Heaven, Ass and thread = a curse)_ ' Gilbert adored the violet eyes just by looking at them the second time and his head stopped working. He didn't know how someone could have such awesome eyes and look this innocent, like a sheep.

Gilbert scratched his neck in embarrassment and didn't know where to look.

* * *

When he noticed having feelings for another boy in 6. grade for the first time he didn't really know what to do. He went home crying, hugged his mama and just wanted her to hold him. And being the awesome mama she was, she did. After some minutes of hugging her son and humming a song to help him relax she sat him on the couch and kneeled in front of him, asking what happened.

Gilbert blushed and told her that he noticed having feelings for a classmate but being afraid that he could like-like him and not just like him. His mother just hugged him telling him everything was okay and that he just fell in love. She never cared about defined standards and norms and couldn't care less that her sweet baby loved another boy.

Ludwig on the other hand got quiet when he got home to his wife telling him while hugging their son. He nodded and didn't know what to say or do and just went to the kitchen to get himself a beer. Gilbert liked it better than being yelled at but something inside him was hurting. His papa did not react at all. No word, no hug, no slap into the face no nothing.

Gilbert went to his room that evening and hid under his blanket. That was not really awesome but he didn't care for that moment. All he could hear was his own sobbing and his mother talking to his silent father.

The next day he told Antonio on their way to school and his best friend seemed cool with it and even made a plan to see if their classmate was gay too. It helped Gilbert a lot to straighten up a bit until a boy from 7. grade overheard them and shouted the news through the whole school.

Everybody gave him strange looks and avoided him and Antonio who tried to stick to his friend even more. At lunch break Gilbert sat with Antonio in a corner and wrote his mama a message about the situation. After 10 Minutes his father sent him a text 'If they hurt you, I'll break their legs'. Gilbert felt the tears in his eyes and got through the day with Antonio never leaving his side.

At home his mama greeted him and Antonio with a hug and Gilbert showed the message to her. "Your papa loves you, sweetheart. Yesterday he just didn't know how to say it."

* * *

To Gilbert the air in this small shabby book store felt heavy as hell. He cleared his throat and looked back at Matthew who said: "I wanted to learn how to make a stuffed polar bear, because he looks really cute. Like Knut was, the bear in the German zoo." Gilbert remembered the fuss about the small animal and how everybody was acting out when the bear died. He never went to Berlin to see him and even at that moment he didn't understand the big deal around the animal.

"Yeah, I guess he was cute." Gilbert didn't know what else to say without sounding annoyed. "We can talk about something else if you like to", Matthew suggested and Gilbert was feeling very awesome for the fact that Matthew wanted to keep talking to him.

"Yeah, eh, about the books… Can I order them here? I don't want to drive to the next town just for the books", Gilbert managed to turn the topic back to the reason why he came here in the first place. "Sure you can. I can deliver them to you if you want. Some of the elders struggle to get here for a single book so I do it sometimes."

Matthew would come to Gilbert's house to bring the books himself? Did the blond think of him as to old to get to the store or could he maybe enjoy the awesome Gilbert? The albino agreed much more enthusiastic than he intended to.

He gave Matthew his address and mobile number in case something went wrong with the book delivery. 'Of course just for the books' Gilbert said to himself in disbelieve. Matthew took his phone and saved his customer's number and called him. "So you have my number too and don't have to think about who I might be", Matthew mumbled and Gilbert saved the number.

Then his sight fell onto the digital clock on the phone display and he gasped.

"Shit! I have to get to work! I'm sorry, Matthew, but I have to go now. See you."

He ran out of the book store, not looking back at Matthew in a hurry and took a cab to his home just to rush to the police station in his car.

'Damn, why didn't I just stopped at the store earlier this morning. He could have talked more.' Gilbert thought while locking the car and meeting with Alfred to get back to their murder case.

* * *

 **That's all for chapter 3 :)**

 **I really hope you like it. This time I managed to write a bit more and I hope I can keep this up. :)**


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